Alien Enemies Act

A federal judge says President Donald Trump can use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan citizens who are shown to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

The Trump administration, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, Jr., ruled, does not "possess the lawful authority under the (Alien Enemies Act), and based on the Proclamation, to detain Venezuelan aliens, transfer them within the United States, or remove them from the country."

An ICE official said in court documents that people are subject to deportation if they don't say they want to challenge their removal within 12 hours after being notified about their rights.

In a brief order, the court directed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Texas "until further order of this court."

Flawed deportation 'checklist' targets Venezuelans using tattoos as one gang identifier. But experts say Tren de Aragua doesn't use tattoos for member identification.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Democracy Forward sued the Trump administration over its use of the wartime law to quickly deport people, which they say violates due process.

The fight over the rarely used wartime power has become central to Trump's immigration crackdown agenda and his efforts to stretch the powers of the executive branch.